PHILOSOPHY
Are Some Lives More Valuable Than Others?
Are all lives equally valuable? Are some lives more valuable than others? Is it morally okay to sacrifice a few lives for the greater good?
This article was originally written in May 2020. So, Keep that in mind while reading the article. This article is mainly in the context of India.
COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019), or Novel Corona Virus, is one of the most significant pandemics in human history. Human health is more important than ever before. The whole world has been united to fight this COVID-19 together. Despite all the efforts, there have yet been no specific vaccines, medicines or treatments for the virus. Doctors, hospitals and medical researchers are essential assets in these challenging times. Doctors, medical researchers and governments have had to face many medical as well as ethical problems.
The disease is novel due to the lack of medical data to test the severity of the case. They have had to make some hard-ethical choices on which cases are more critical and to give priority to each case. The Hippocratic oath of doctors says to never say no to a patient. Still, doctors are forced to reject patients due to the lack of medical equipment and staff. Doctors are in constant contact with COVID-19-positive patients, and the disease has infected many doctors; sadly, some have even passed away. As the number of cases increases daily, there has been a shortage of medical supplies and staff. Due to that, they have had to reject some cases and give them sub-par solutions like self-quarantine. Governments of all countries have had to make tough decisions regarding lockdowns and policies and their effects on the lives of different people and the economy. They have had to make trade-offs between the economy and the lives of the country’s citizens. This raises many important ethical questions. Are all lives equally valuable? Are some lives more valuable than others? What if a vaccine is made in the future and is expensive to make in small amounts? Who should get the vaccine first?
A famous ethical dilemma in moral philosophy is known as “The Trolley Problem”. The problem is as follows: Imagine standing at a railway intersection with a runaway train bearing down on five people. Fortunately, there is a lever next to you. If you pull the lever, the train will switch tracks, but there is a catch; one person is on the other track. So, what do you do? If you do nothing, five people will die, or if you pull the lever, five people will be saved, but you will be directly responsible for one person’s life. Most people choose to pull the lever. But what if that one person was a relative of yours or a prominent scientist, or a world leader? Is it okay to sacrifice the lives of a few for the greater good?
The virus and the lockdown it brought have caused the way we live our
everyday lives. There has been a global economic crisis. A human being, a social animal, has been forced to stay in his own home and practise social distancing. Lockdown has had a different impact on different people in different ways. Daily wage workers and small shops have been affected by the economic condition. Many businesses have been impacted due to the economic conditions. Migrant workers are stuck without shelter due to a lack of transport. Students have been affected due to the shutdown of schools and colleges and delayed exams. The government has had to make some hard decisions to save the lives of citizens. But they must also control the economic condition of the country. Overall, the root problem is the feeling of lack of control.
The government must choose between the health of the citizens, the lives of daily wage workers, the lives of migrant workers, the economy, education and its long-term consequences on the everyday lives of ordinary people. This is an ethical issue as we have to choose between two choices based on the different implications for each person.
A virtue ethicist would find it difficult to make a decision here as you acquire virtue through practice. This is the first time this situation has occurred, so what constitutes an honest government or doctor needs to be defined.
According to a deontologist, doctors and the government should perform their duties towards their patients and citizens, respectively. But the question still arises of which responsibility is more important. What do you do when it is impossible to perform your duty?
A utilitarian would make their decision by weighing the consequences of each decision and weighing them against each other. In this case, the effects are difficult to predict and weigh against each other. The number of variables involved is way too much. In theory, it would be possible to find the optimum solution, but that would take time, and the decision must be completed on time. The main issue here is that you need to make everyone happy simultaneously. You have to make some trade-offs. The main question is, what trade-offs are you willing to make?
These are some solutions to resolve this issue.
There have to be some trade-offs made. If the lockdown is imposed, the daily wage workers will suffer economically. Migrant workers will be unable to find a home, and exams, schools, and colleges will remain closed. The economy will suffer, but it helps to control the spread of the virus to the rest of the people. On the other hand, if the lockdown is lifted, the country’s economic condition will improve. Daily wage workers and the small shops will not suffer, and students will have more clarity about their future. Still, it can cause the spread of the virus and endanger the lives of the citizens. The government should balance out the effect of the lockdown and take active steps to help migrant workers return to their homes. It could provide more funds for the medical community. It could help the daily wage workers with rations. More and more medical research should be done about the virus and its effects and symptoms on different persons to judge which case is more severe and decide accordingly.
The number of doctors, medical experts, and medical staff, as well as the amount of medical equipment, should be increased. This will avoid a shortage of medical supplies or medical staff to avoid rejecting cases due to a lack of medical supplies or staff. We know from reports that eight out of every ten deaths occur in individuals with at at least one underlying comorbidity, particularly those with cardiovascular diseases/hypertension and diabetes and a range of other chronic underlying conditions.
Hence, people should be aware of their health and become healthier. It is a fact that an individual’s health is directly related to the chance of getting
infected and directly associated with the possibility of recovery if someone gets infected.
Another solution is to make more protective gear for doctors to avoid spreading the virus to doctors. With doctors, there will be progress in finding a cure or treating infected persons. Doctors are essential assets in this situation.
In conclusion, doctors and governments are taking the steps as best as humanly possible to overcome this situation. The public is responsible for following their advice, being safe, and coming together to find this pandemic with a unified front.
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